SWEDD

Olivia Bertelli “Empowering Girls in Mali. Evidence from the SWEDD program.”

Abstract: This study evaluates the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) initiative in Mali, which aims to reduce gender disparities and stimulate development by providing young women with income-generating activities and life-skills training, alongside engaging young men. Using a Randomized-Control Trial design, the study involves 2572 girls aged 15-24 across 189 villages in Mali, that are assigned to a control group or to one of following three treatment groups: Income Generating Activities (IGA) alone, IGA with girls’ Safe Spaces, or IGA with Clubs of (Future) Husbands. Results show lasting empowerment effects, including reduced childbearing rates for unmarried girls and increased engagement in work activities. Positive effects are also found in terms of improved decision-making autonomy, more egalitarian gender attitudes, and enhanced psycho-social well-being. This study demonstrates the importance of combining vocational training with life skills for both married and unmarried girls, contributing valuable insights to the literature on women’s empowerment. Pre-analysis plan: 3ie RCT Registry RIDIE-STUDY-ID-5f4df3cd58cd0

Bertelli, O., Boulhane, O., Boxho, C., Huillery, E., Kazianga, H., Koussoubé, E., Michel, B., Rouanet, L., Sage, M. “The Effects of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Clubs: Evidence from a Multi-Country RCT in West Africa”

Abstract: We study the effects of Safe Spaces programs aiming at empowering adolescent girls and young women through weekly training on life skills and sexual and reproductive health. Using a multi-country RCT in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, and Niger, we show that the overall impact of Safe Spaces is limited but mask substantial heterogeneity: treatment effects vary greatly across countries and machine-learning methods show that about half of this heterogeneity is explained by girls’ individual characteristics, suggesting that both targeting and the quality of implementation matter. Unmarried and more vulnerable girls benefit from a reduction in marriage and pregnancy, associated with gains in sexual and reproductive health behavior and in decision-making. These results show that Safe Spaces can help empower women when properly implemented and targeted to the appropriate population.